Metagame: The Red Dawns and Gaming.

Yep, it's wacky and full of words, kids. Fair warning.

I am tired. And closing my first half century so think I know some shit. We can come back in fifty years and poke fun at what a dumb ass I was. :D

So, about the Red Dawns. I think they sort of parallel gaming these days.

The first is deep, moody, dark, fucking visceral. I mean The Scene for me, I mean in the all time greats in fact comes from the first Red Dawn. The one those of us of the 1980s saw and absorbed some very important, yet valuable things from on the silver screen. Like the scene where they have to deal with the unit traitors. It's harsh, but oh so real. I would do the same damned thing. (Hell, my gaming group regularly discuss this scene and other similar topics and how we plan on dealing with them.) Oh, and then there was the concept that the US could lose a war. Again. To the Commies. In the end it really is a movie about sacrifice. It was cool and it was good.

For the most part they stay in the woods and do their things and fade back in the woods again. In all that they interacted and we got character development to go with the levels in guerrilla actions.

Now, I am watching the new one and I must admit it is own thing. True, the scene in the Subway is pure product placement. But damn if the actors don't sell it. And the touches like "Sandwich Artist" and the bucket really make it shine. The best part comes off screen sadly. Which is the characters explaining to the party why they have a garbage bag covered in leaves and a bucket. That is straight a treasure haul when you have been eating NK rats for two, three, maybe four months solid, rationing the cranberry sauce and the canned peaches for something truly special. It is so "WE raided a goblin cave on way back from wasting the Duke's men!"

Every-Character-Ever's Treasure O-face Personified 

The Camp: What the fuck?

The Party: Dudes! We got subs and soda...bitches! 

The Camp: For real? Wait, the bucket is only half full.

The Party: Well, we were running and some slopped out. Shit, we only got half because we chanced walking 200 meters past the line.

The Camp: What the hell flavor is that?

The Party: All of them!

And a good time is had.

(I so want screen cap dude's face and use it to illustrate my point, but I can't so go waste some time and watch it, if only for that one golden Character/Player O-face.)

Naw, in the end I had to share it, but if they ask me to take it down, asshole style or being cool understanding I am not all trying to infringe, but thought it truly constituted fair use, I sure the fuck will. And not because I am caving before their  Mighty Powers [secretly replaced with lobbyists and lawyers], but because I am not cool with stealing other people stuff. Merely showing it others so they can grok what I say. Also, the picture really is just a sound bite for a Player's eloquent three paragraph description and actions in response to the moment. For that you need the GM's set up.

There is also the excellent Call of Duty crack. That makes it a gaming movie. Sucking included.

Another thing I like about is the young women in the unit end up exactly that, the unit and you don't fuck inside the unit. And oh, yeah, they are girls. But first they are in the minds of all, troopers. That I think is an excellent meme to leave to our quite possibly war torn children of our scary dreams we share with the mundane world. Hell, it is just a damned good meme. I like it and I am glad they kept it.

So, all in all, the new is not too bad. The ending though is weirdly a bit of let down. I really liked the original in which they were and remained bit players in a larger picture we only glimpse when the Zoomie is telling just how badly the US is losing. Yet, in the end how it all ended and really how or why it started weren't the important part.

My take is the first is good old funny dice table top RPG,  APOCALYPSE WAR: SHITSBURG, USA! The new one is more computer RPG, APOCALYPSE WAR II: THE NK GADGET (Based on the popular, post apocalyptic tabletop RPG of the 80s!).

Either way, a couple more hours not so wasted.

The Ship's Cat is being very patient and waiting for me to finish this so he can nap in peace, so I will.

Laterness,
Craig, who welcomes his two new Followers. And sleep.